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Dive Review of Easy Divers/Habitat Curacao in
Curaçao

Easy Divers/Habitat Curacao, Jul, 2004,

by Dave Bridenbaugh, Ohio, USA . Report 1211.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We booked our July stay at Habitat Curacao way back in March. We are avid Bonaire divers and did a little diving in Aruba. We use Maduro and Bev Ivey always does a nice job taking care of us, however, you can count on something going wrong and it did. They had no record of our reservation for a double cab pickup so we had to settle for a little Rav-4, which surprisingly accommodated our foursome.
After a 20-minute trip over to Habitat we checked in and loaded our gear into our rooms without a hitch. Our room was great we had the Lania Villa and it had two large bedrooms with shower and bathtub, closet, TV, chest of drawers and writing table. The best part of the room arrangement was that the couple we came with had their room next to ours and we share a very nice patio with couches, table and chairs and a sort of hutch that opened up into a stove, sink, small refrigerator and pantry. This was in open air with a roof over it and it had a ceiling fan. We were able to dry out our swimsuits and dive gear when necessary and bought some groceries in town making for nice easy lunches.
Since we arrived in the evening about 8:00 PM and Habitat is at least 15 minutes away from any restaurant we ate at the House restaurant which is only fair. They have a rather reserved staff and like all the Caribbean service you just have to wait. Menu is the usual assortment of shrimp a couple of different ways, limited fish, some pasta dishes, a couple of local dishes, burgers, club sandwiches, grilled cheese, quesadias and a couple of soups. I think you can get a steak but like the other islands in ABC the beef comes from Argentina or Venezuela and can be tough.
After a short, brief, and to-the-point orientation at the dive shop we dove right away. Lockers, drying racks, and tank room are near the dive pier as are changing tables and fresh water rinse tanks including one dedicated to cameras. The reef system is very much like Bonaire surrounding the island with small walls and gradually sloping hills dropping down to sand flats 100-150’ or more. They are very good condition with abundant fish life and lots of Macros. Water temperature is in the low 80’s in summer and mid 70’s in winter. While the surface temperature was hot (85-90) it seemed comfortable because of the ever-moving trade winds. There are a few wrecks, but, the one that draws the most attention is the Superior Producer and it can only be dived on when there are no cruise chips or supply ships in the harbor. We couldn’t dive there the entire time because of the ships in the harbor.
Dive till you drop is the order of the day here. We saw numerous reef fish, many Eels of all types, it’s loaded with Banded Coral Shrimp. Arrow Crabs, Cleaner Shrimp, Nudibranches, Anemones, Batwing Crabs, Lobsters, and all of the marine life that usually indicate a healthy reef system. On subsequent dives including boat and shore dives elsewhere we saw the same thing as well as Barracudas, Turtles, Frogfish, Sea Horses, an occasional Ray and tons of Macros. Like the other two ABC islands the sharks and rays are rare.
There are enough good easy to get to shore sights that make renting a pickup or small SUV worthwhile for at least a few days, however keep in mind that a diver will want to be at least average or better in fitness to dive many of the shore dives. One in our group is very obese and could not even attempt the shore dives save for the house reef. The restaurant staff seemed rather reserved and not so friendly. The menus is limited but there are a few pasta dishes, fish of the day (usually Mahi Mahi) a few sandwiches and a couple of Pork dishes. They have a barbecue on Tuesday and it’s fairly good, but remember the closest restaurant is about 15 minutes by car. The breakfast buffet is good with eggs to order or omelets, pancakes, French Toast, potatoes, sausage, bacon (not so palatable ), fresh fruits, also cheeses, lunchmeat, Peanut butter, and sehr gut Bröchen (für sie leute von Europa ).

Since the resort is located well out of walking distance to any grocery or restaurant you might want to think seriously about a rental vehicle. As for the town of Willemstad it is worth taking a look at with it’s Dutch looking buildings and decent shopping as well as some good eating-places.
A word of caution. We flew to Miami on Delta and from there on Dutch Caribbean and be prepared to be patient with Dutch Caribbean because they routinely overbook and we had to spend an extra night in Miami because we couldn’t get back when we were scheduled and missed our connection. I would encourage travel by Jamaica Air or American but save yourself some trauma and stay away from DC. Dutch Caribbean needs to get their act together. We would give Curacao and Habitat Curacao our hearty recommendation. We’ll go back.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Florida Keys, Aruba, Barbados, St. Thomas, Bonair
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy, surge
Water Temp 79-81°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Generally within safe recreational limits
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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